Town skipper Matt Holland says he was very disappointed to hear the news of George Burley's sacking on a day which he described as "very sad". The Irish international heard the news this morning and like many was shocked, despite the recent poor run of results.

Holland said: “The manager brought me here five-and-a-half years ago and in that time I've seen the club develop and me as a player develop. I've got a huge amount of respect for George and what he's done for me as a player. A sad day for me, really.

“The players feel responsible, ultimately the manager picks the team, but once the players go out on the pitch we have a responsibility. Unfortunately results haven't been good and this is the situation we've found ourselves in.”

Holland was yet to speak with his former boss but was planning to give him a call on Friday afternoon. Burley is expected to come in and speak to the players one day next week.

The skipper says the players were surprised by the timing of the decision, but asked if there was a good time to sack a manager. Holland revealed that there were tears in the eyes of some members of staff after they heard today's news.

Holland says he has no doubt that Burley will go on to be a success elsewhere and was quick to pay tribute to his role at Portman Road over the last few years: “George has been a big influence at this football club and he has done an awful lot in the seven years he has been here; the development of the players he has brought in, the development of the club as a whole has been incredible and a lot of that is owed to George and what he has achieved on the football side of things.”

Despite the current position Holland feels that the squad assembled by George Burley is capable of achieving promotion to the Premiership this season: “It's up to us now to show what we can do. There's a lot of games to be played before the end of the season, and hopefully, we can turn the season around and progress.”

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